BRASILIA, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Friday inaugurated the first shipment of meat exports to China from central Mato Grosso do Sul state.

Lula da Silva placed the final seal on an item of beef to be shipped to the Asian country. As a result of market expansion, China authorized 38 Brazilian meatpacking plants to export meat in March, increasing the number of plants from 106 to 144.

The authorization will result in an increase of 10 billion reals (about 1.946 billion U.S. dollars) in Brazil's trade balance over the next 12 months. ■